Alexandra Eala secured a hard-fought victory in her first match at the BNP Paribas Open, defeating Dayana Yastremska 7-5, 4-6, 7-5 late at night in the desert. The 20-year-old from the Philippines came back from a break down in the deciding set to advance to the third round. She will face Coco Gauff next in a rematch from last month.
The match, which lasted nearly three hours under chilly conditions approaching midnight, showcased Eala's resilience. Yastremska, a former Grand Slam semifinalist, took an early lead in the third set by breaking Eala to lead 5-4, but her 15 double faults proved costly. Eala broke back and held serve to win the next two games, clinching the victory when Yastremska's forehand sailed long on Eala's fourth match point.
"I feel great now," Eala told reporters afterward. "I just told myself to keep fighting, and I was still in the match. I really had to dig deep for that one."
A vocal group of supporters, waving Philippine flags and chanting her name, stayed despite the late hour and cold temperatures. Their presence has been a constant, filling her practice sessions and boosting her 960,000 Instagram followers toward one million. "It means the world to have this community behind me in such a prestigious tournament," Eala said. "For them to make the effort to stay up late and stay in the cold and cheer me on…it really added to the feelings and the emotions after the match."
Eala, ranked No. 31 and training at Rafael Nadal's academy in Mallorca, has a history of upsets, having beaten Grand Slam champions Iga Swiatek, Madison Keys, and Jelena Ostapenko at last year's Miami event. Her upcoming opponent, Gauff, dominated their Dubai quarterfinal last month with a 6-0, 6-2 win, winning 70 percent of Eala's first-serve points. Gauff acknowledged Eala's fans post-match, saying, "Thank you guys for coming out here. I know you were mostly supporting Alex, but I have to say it’s great to be on a crowded court. Also, I’d like to thank Alex for bringing a new demographic to the sport. I really appreciate it. I think it’s great."
"Coco is an amazing player and playing at home," Eala noted. "I'm expecting a big crowd to rally behind her just because she's amazing. But it's like every other match. Today I had to dig really deep, so I'm expecting that the next match I have to do even more. I'm ready and I'm looking forward to it."
